Fossils.—Superb Mummy. 455 
the sea-lion, and two disproportionately large eyes give it a 
frightful appearance. “It was very fortunate for us,” said 
Kriukof, ‘‘ that we were so near land, or else the monster would 
have swallowed us: it stretched its jiead far above the water, 
looked about for prey, and vanished. ‘Ihe head soon appeared 
again, and that considerably nearer: we rowed with all our 
might, and were very happy to have reached the shore before 
the serpent. ‘The sea-lions were so terrified at the sight, that 
some rushed into the water, and others hid themselves on the 
shore. The sea often throws up pieces of flesh, which, accord- 
ing to opinion, is that of this serpent, which no animal, not 
ven the raven, will touch. Some Aleutians, who had once 
_asted some of it suddenly died. If a sea-serpent really has been 
seen on the coast of North America, it may have been one of 
this frightful species. 
Gigantic Polypus.—The Aleutians also relate stories of a gi- 
gantic polypus. It has happened, that a polypus has thrown its 
long arms, which are twice as thick asa strong man’s arm, round 
the baydau of an Aleutian, and would have carried it into the 
abyss, if the Aleutian had not had the presence of mind to cut 
through with his knife the fleshy arm of the polypus, which was 
furnished with large suckers. The polypus remains with his body 
fast at the bottom of the sea, and generally chooses a place from 
which it can reach the surface with its arms. The last accident 
happened in the passage which is found by the southern point of 
the island of Oemnack, and the little is!and lying near it.— Kot- 
zebue’s Voyage, ii. 188. 
A Female Shark.—The ship Brailsford, on her passage from 
Bombay to England, in latitude 29. 26. S. long, 40. 2. E. 
caught a large blue female shark 12 feet long, on opening which 
there were found no less than 77 young ones alive, each about a 
foot long, and weighing from one half to three quarters of a 
pound. 
FOSSILS. 
In the beginning of November, Mr. Mantell discovered in the 
chalk near Lewes, three vertebra of the celebrated fossil animal of 
Maestricht. This is the first instance of the remains of that ovi- 
parous quadruped being found in this country, or in any part of 
the Continent, except in St. Peter’s Mountain near Maestricht. 
SUPER MUMMY. 
A Danish family, desirous of purchasing a beautiful mummy 
for one of the museunis in Copenhagen, wrote to M. Dumrecher, 
Danish Consul at Alexandria ;_ who, assisted by M. Tedenat, the 
French Consul, procured an intelligent man to set out for Upper 
Egypt, with a firman from the Pasha, to search the tombs of the 
ancient 
